As a rookie, Golden State Warriors big man Trayce Jackson-Davis broke out as a quality rotation player.
To be fair, Jackson-Davis wasn’t the normal rookie. Many teams key in on draft prospects with one or two years of college experience. However, Jackson-Davis spent four seasons at Indiana. His last two seasons with the Hoosiers saw him getting coached by a former NBA player and head coach in Mike Woodson (who will now join the Sacramento Kings coaching staff).
Nonetheless, that theoretically made him fit with the Warriors more than he normally would have. After all, Golden State has several players in their rotation who aren’t seasoned, namely Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, and Quinten Post. Yet, they’re considered a veteran team due to the success and experience of their stars.
So, why wouldn’t they be appreciative of mature prospect like Jackson-Davis?
Can Trayce Jackson-Davis’s Game 2 Carry To Game 3?
For all of the promise that Jackson-Davis showed as a rookie, he’s found himself on the outside looking in since Jan. 29.
His fluidity nor playmaking, both of which were head-turners in 2023-24, took a step back. However, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr couldn’t figure out how to run the offense he wanted with several non-shooters. As a result, Jackson-Davis became a casualty of circumstance.
Indeed, the answer for why Post’s in the rotation but not Jackson-Davis largely comes down to 3-point shooting. To that point, Post converted 40.8 percent of his 3s in the regular season while attempting 4.3 per game. Jackson-Davis is 0-4 from 3 for his career.
As he’s primarily a center, maybe he felt like developing an outside jumper was a luxury, not necessity. Even in this era, there are multiple starting centers who are successful without a 3-ball. Unfortunately for Jackson-Davis, he’s playing for the team and coach associated most closely with 3-point proliferation.
However, following his performance in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals, Kerr sounds ready to put Jackson-Davis back in the rotation. Him and Jonathan Kuminga, another guy who’s been pushed aside. “Those guys really performed well and showed why they can help us win this series so they’re going to be a part of it for sure,” Kerr says (h/t KNBR).
“We’ve got to figure out rotations, who we want to start (and) all that stuff but both guys are going to play a role.”
Game 2 Tape
In Game 2, Jackson-Davis was a man on a mission, playing with force at both ends.
Offensively, his hard screens, easy athleticism and attacking mentality made him a real threat. In fact, he scored 15 points on 6-6 shooting from the field, his attempts coming from lobs, rim-runs, and tip-ins. He briefly showed off his basketball IQ as a facilitator as well.
Trayce Jackson-Davis 15 Points, 6 Rebs, 6/6 FG full highlight vs Timberwolves – Game 2 pic.twitter.com/UCeeTLG7Pv
— NBA Showtime (@NBAShowtime12) May 9, 2025
Defensively, Jackson-Davis flitted around the court, both nimble and graceful when guarding out in space. Though he only recorded one block, he contested six shots (five 2-pointers and one 3-pointer). That number was the second-highest on the team behind Draymond Green (7). For reference, Green played 10 more minutes than Jackson-Davis.
What could it hurt to have Jackson-Davis’s hustle, aggressiveness, athleticism, efficiency and defense in Game 3? Especially when Post has played just nine total minutes in the series and Kevon Looney hasn’t been an assertive scorer this postseason.
© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
